You may want to explain why you feel the question is off-topic. To the moderator, I mean.
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Martijn Pieters♦Apr 28 '14 at 15:58

The moderator is saying that he doesn't think the question should be closed, not that it's not right to flag bountied questions that you think should be closed.
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ServyApr 28 '14 at 15:59

4

It isn't off-topic. It is about programming - the OP wants to write code to solve the problem. Yes, it is low quality, yes, it shows no effort. But it is on topic.
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Oded♦Apr 28 '14 at 15:59

1

IMO too broad would be a perfectly valid reason to close. Without any example code or at bare minimum a "I've tried with X but it didn't work" the OPs biggest problem might be that he doesn't know how to compile or run any code we might give.
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OGHazaApr 29 '14 at 10:52

I'm a little confused. If it's on-topic (i.e. it doesn't meet the standards for closing), then it should stay open, yes?
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Robert Harvey♦Apr 28 '14 at 16:03

1

@RobertHarvey I'm an 'old school' on and off topic sort of guy; this newfangled, "Off topic because x" still takes getting used to. What I'd really like to say is, "Downvote to oblivion", but I can't say that, can I?
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George Stocker♦Apr 28 '14 at 16:06

I would expect this to be closed as 'minimal understanding' or 'too broad', like the 5 million other questions of genre 'how can I do X' each day. How does this differ?
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Jeroen VannevelApr 28 '14 at 16:06

1

@JeroenVannevel: "Minimal understanding" doesn't exist anymore. Too many people were abusing it as "minimal effort."
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Robert Harvey♦Apr 28 '14 at 16:06

@JeroenVannevel Consistency. There is very little consistency in closing these types of questions; and there is push-back when we do it, so there you go.
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George Stocker♦Apr 28 '14 at 16:07

@JeroenVannevel If the question is "too broad" then it should be flagged saying that it's too broad, not off topic.
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ServyApr 28 '14 at 16:07

@RobertHarvey: Sorry, I meant 'lacks sufficient information' (which I think is an appropriate substitute for it in this case).
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Jeroen VannevelApr 28 '14 at 16:07

9

It's not too broad, it's not unclear, and it doesn't lack sufficient information. It's icanhazcodez, but we don't have a close reason for that. Personally, I prefer icanhazcodez questions (which could help others) to 'Code dump, how fix" questions, which will never benefit anyone else.
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Robert Harvey♦Apr 28 '14 at 16:08

1

@Servy: I'm not disputing that at all, but I'm getting some vibes that the question should stay open while I would think it should get closed for the beforementioned reasons.
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Jeroen VannevelApr 28 '14 at 16:08

3

Wouldn't an answer require an entire introduction on how to do this with no attempt to go on? Sure, it says what it is he wants exactly but I've always known these questions to get closed.
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Jeroen VannevelApr 28 '14 at 16:09

2

@JeroenVannevel You're saying that you wish you could close it, even though the close reasons you want to use don't apply to that answer at all. When you want to close a question, but none of the close reasons apply, then it generally means that the question shouldn't be closed. Choosing the vaguest close reason to abuse and use anyway is harmful, and why so many otherwise good close reasons have had to be removed.
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ServyApr 28 '14 at 16:09

1

I was under the assumption that questions that just ask for code were supposed to be closed. Thanks for clearing that up.
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Jeroen VannevelApr 28 '14 at 16:18

3

I should have mentioned that IMO the question is too broad. If it is too broad and we have a close reason for it than it makes it off-topic - like any other question on site that is about programming but shows no research etc. There is no attempt at solving it whatsoever...I accept this answer just to have the question "solved" and not attract more attention but in the end I still disagree the question is on-topic. What IMO makes it off topic is the fact that it could potentially be closed as too broad. no 3. is inaccurate then
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MeehowApr 29 '14 at 7:07

1

How many more questions are going to be brought about as a result of the ambiguity of the term "off-topic" as far as SE is concerned? Do you people like having these endless arguments all the time?
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BoltClock♦Apr 29 '14 at 16:45